The ongoing UEFA Euro 2024, in which Turkey is also a participant, has not only increased fan enthusiasm but also spurred significant economic activity in the country's e-commerce sector, association representatives said.
Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Sunday that demand has increased especially for large screen televisions and football-related products such as balls and uniforms.
Turkey's Crescent Stars opened the tournament with a stunning win over Georgia in Group F thanks to young player Arda Güler, but missed a direct path to the last 16 against Portugal on Saturday and will need to avoid defeat against the Czech Republic if they are to finish as group runners-up.
Hakan Çevikor, president of the Electronic Commerce Businesses Association (ETID), said the participation of the Turkish national team in the Euro Championships hosted by Germany has led to a surge in activity on e-commerce websites.
Çevikoglu said sales figures showed football fans preferred watching major tournament matches on new big-screen TVs.
“There is also a preference for modern TV systems, with sales of 65-, 75- and 85-inch TVs increasing significantly, as well as growing interest in OLED and QLED TVs,” he said.
“The most popular TVs were in the price range of 20,000 to 30,000 Turkish liras ($610 to $915),” he added.
Çevikoglu also highlighted that Euro 2024 has generated great interest in televisions and sound systems, and reported that sales of air conditioners have increased significantly as temperatures rise.
“The number of people purchasing large TVs through e-commerce has doubled compared to last year. Sales of projectors and sound systems also increased,” he explained.
“The majority of purchases are made by customers aged between 28 and 45. The e-commerce sector has also seen an increase in sales of football equipment such as footballs, cleats and jerseys, which have almost doubled,” Çevikoglu noted.
He said sales of air conditioners and cooling equipment are up 30 percent compared to June last year.
“We believe the increased demand for air conditioners is driven by people's desire to watch the football championship in the comfort of their own homes,” he said.
But apart from the positive impact of the Euros on sales, Çevikoglu also warned about fraud during the championship, which runs until July 14.
Citing instances where fraudsters have taken advantage of the situation by creating fake e-commerce sites to victimise members of the public, he stressed the importance of consumers being careful about the websites they shop from, recommending that they shop from sites that display a seal of trust to ensure minimum security.
